Regardless of what the inventive staff at Sq. Enix would have us suppose, Future and Destiny most likely nonetheless have a serious function to play in Closing Fantasy VII Rebirth and past. Although SOLDIER Zack Honest appears to have escaped loss of life and joined the remainder of the forged in a brand new timeline, the probably consequence is a very totally different—however equally tragic—coincidence.
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Spoilers for the unique sport and FF7 Remake observe.
Within the authentic Closing Fantasy VII timeline, Cloud and Zack are wounded by Sephiroth following what’s referred to as “The Nibelheim Incident,” 5 years earlier than the occasions of the primary sport. The mad scientist Hojo kidnaps and experiments on them for 4 years, enhancing Cloud’s power however scrambling his mind. After Zack breaks them out, they journey round for a few 12 months till Shinra catches as much as them on the outskirts of Midgar. Initially, Zack dies combating Shinra troopers, however as a result of the get together defeats the Whisper Harbinger on the finish of FF7 Remake, occasions up to now, current and future are altered.
Remake’s ending cutscene reveals that Zack survives the battle and helps Cloud make his approach towards Midgar. It’s believable these occasions occur in an alternate timeline distinct from the brand new continuity. Nevertheless, it’s completely doable that when the get together entered the Singularity on the finish of Remake and destroyed the Whispers, they didn’t return to their authentic world. As an alternative, they have been taken someplace totally different: a timeline created by the destruction of the Whispers by which Zack is alive.
Producer Yoshinori Kitase has confirmed already that Zack performs an even bigger function in FF7 Rebirth than the unique sport.
“Throughout the authentic Closing Fantasy 7, Zack Honest doesn’t seem as a lot,” Kitase advised IGN in a September 2023 interview. “As for Rebirth, there might be a brand new episode with Zack that may comprise much more of him than the Remake. I’m not capable of say way more than this as I would love for gamers to play and expertise this with it in their very own arms.”
How is all of this going to shake out precisely? Properly, Rebirth Inventive Director Tetsuya Nomura confirmed on the official PlayStation weblog in September 2023 that the second a part of the trilogy ends on the Forgotten Capital, which is the place Sephiroth kills Aerith whereas she’s making an attempt to the White Materia to summon Holy.
“The longer term — even when it has been written — could be modified,” Aerith says within the June 2022 First Look Trailer for Rebirth. The unique timeline has already been “written,” so to talk, which is why the Whispers strove to protect this particular future. In different phrases, occasions can and may play out as they initially did aside from in situations the place characters make totally different selections.
The Whispers is probably not round anymore to make sure that every thing goes precisely based on plan, however it’s all however sure that Aerith will nonetheless attempt to summon Holy herself and be threatened by Sephiroth. Assuming all people exists in the identical continuity, what is going to Zack be doing whereas Cloud and mates pursue Sephiroth? In all probability, after arriving on the Sector 5 Church within the post-credits scene of the Remake Intergrade INTERmission chapter starring Yuffie, he’ll attempt to monitor Aerith down.
A fittingly tragic end result of all this could possibly be for Zack to lastly catch as much as Aerith on the finish of the sport within the Forgotten Capital simply in time to push her out of the best way and take the hit himself. The Whispers is probably not round to make sure that Zack dies, however his continued existence within the timeline presents all types of cosmic continuity points. This could possibly be the right tragic ending to Rebirth that conjures up Aerith and Cloud to proceed their mission to cease Sephiroth in a approach that thematically echoes the unique with out getting too convoluted. On this style, Aerith might efficiently summon Holy to cease Meteor sooner than within the authentic, however who is aware of what sort of repercussions all of this might have.
Is it honest for him to make the final word Zackrifice? In all probability not, however one thing about it feels becoming nonetheless.
Pre-order Closing Fantasy VII Rebirth: Amazon | Finest Purchase | GameStop
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